'I never imagined I could get into a university like UCL'

"Afterwards, MyBigCareer followed up and offered me one-to-one sessions with a mentor at Wiggin called Scott to help me with my exams and university applications. My dream was to become a detective and I was planning to apply to universities lower down the pecking order, but during the two-and-a-half-month mentoring process, Scott made me believe I could aim higher so I applied to UCL as well. My mentor saw the potential in me that I couldn't see in myself"

"Without my mentor, I would never have felt smart or confident enough to apply. In my early years, I was very shy when they asked me to read in class, I would refuse for fear of looking stupid and I hid myself away. My mentor saw the potential in me that I couldn't see in myself and he helped me raise my ambitions and sense of what was possible."

"MyBigCareer is one of four high-impact grassroots charities we have backed as part of our Destination Unknown campaign, which supports unemployed young Londoners into work. Alongside Steel Warriors, 20/20 Levels and Toucan Employment, each has received a 62,500 grant from the Standard's Dispossessed Fund, which is administered by The London Community Foundation. A further 250,000 from the Dispossessed Fund has been pledged to fund employability programmes in London del"

Alanis Hernandez arrived in the UK from the Dominican Republic at age 11 speaking no English. At 17 she attended a school visit to the Wiggin law firm organised by the charity MyBigCareer, which later provided one-to-one mentoring. Her mentor, Scott, supported her with exams and university applications over a two-and-a-half-month period and encouraged her to apply to higher-ranked universities, including UCL. Alanis overcame shyness and low confidence, attributing increased ambition and self-belief to the mentoring. MyBigCareer received a £62,500 grant from the Standard's Dispossessed Fund alongside three other grassroots charities, and a further £250,000 was pledged for London employability programmes.

Read at www.standard.co.uk